Plug for electrical connections.



19mm@ Mar. 1, 1910.

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Ax N. DODS. PLUG FOR ELECTRICAL GONNEUTIONS.

AIPLIGATIN FILED MAR. ll, 1909.

UNITED N-,s'rATEs lrnfrisur ormoni.

AUGUsfrr-Is Doris, or Moons vennen, nnwyonm y PLUG' son ELECTRICAL connessione.

Specification afrietters Patent l i Patented' RIa-IZI, 1910. l

950,899. ,l Application fneanawn igiene., 'seriaiyno;.4s2,e71.`

Tool! whom it may concern: l drical in cross section, whereas, for.v about Be it known that I., AUGUSTUS N Do'oSL.

,ing to Fig. elliptical shape m cross section.

a citizenof theUnited States, and a resident of' Mount Vernon, in the county otWestchieste1 and State of New York, have n vented a new and Improved Plug for Elec# vtrieal Connections, of which the followingis a full, clear,and exact description.

My invention relates to plugs for electrical connections, my more particular purpose being toprovide a. construction suitable for plugs of large size and used' in connection' with powerfulA currents `such as char acterizeautomobile charging, theater dimmet'. and the like.

Sts/lted more in detail, my .invention com prehends a plug to be used for making temvporary 'connections between a dynamo, or other source ot' electricity, and anautomobile storage battery., er other `analogmis member to be charged, the plug being fitted. with contact members which are tor the 'most part protected byl a shield, this shield having a suitable forni to serve as a guido for fitting the contactlmembers, and being Fig. 1, has in one direction a so arranged as to reduce` to a. minimum the various dangers which may atten-d the malring and breaking of a temporary electrical connection. l i i My invention further comprehends a plug` providedA with means whereby theI .strain ot' the cable or cord connected with the plug is thrown upon a portion of the pl'g-capable .tion 1G, the portions 15,

ofwithst-anding an excessive strain.

. Reference is to be had 'to the accompanying' drawings forming a part. ol .this speciticati'on, in which'similar chai-a eters 'of re'l erencelindieate correspondin,1 5l ,parts in 'all the figures.

Figure 1 is a substantially central section through a. plug; made in accordance with .my invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken at a right .angle to that appearing in Figcg g Fig. 3 is an'elevation showing the plug is seen by an observer looking directlyinto its end provided'with contact n1echan1sn1;,and Fig. 4 is a section upon the line 4-4 of lf"ig.,2v,

posits directions.

looking in the direction ofthe arrow. j

A handle 5 of hard rubber, or other apl propriete insulating material, is provided with a passage 6extendingfentiiely th-,rougli it,` this passage beingzpartly ellipticaland partly cylindr-icaliin cross= section; -that yis rations ,te say,'"xf.oraboutI- lg ot ytliefdength ofthe handle,reckoniii,D om aes-dag were 1 assage isA cylin l he lower end thereof .i y y v .cable 1"( is drawn partially through Ithe pasol'the handle, from the top thereof accordi l, the passage has generally an sage 6, therefore, as will be readily seen from gradually tapers. I

Mounted rigidly upon the encircling a` portion thereof is a threacollar 7 et metal, this collar lodging` firmly against a shoulder 8 of the handle, lwhich forms a bearing for the same. A Ablock 9 ot'A insulatingmaterial, is provided Withvlugsy handle 5 and 1 0 which extend slightlyinto the adjacent 701.'. end of the handle 5,"as will be understood the block 9 from Fig. 52', thus preventing y from turning relatively'to thehandle. The

bloeit Q is provided with an annular portion 1l. and is'litted with a metallic Contact 75y sleeve 155 y'into which-extends a cylindrical*- portion 13 ot insulating material intcgrab with the block i). VrThis cylindrical portion- 1,3 'yes as aninner lining for the" metallic Contact sleeve 12. i f

A. tip 14- ofrnetal extends entirely through the blocle and is thus secured lirmly in re.- lation to .the same. The tip 1 4 is provided -v with. ay body portion 15 and the Contact sleeve 12 is similarly y 16 bcingadapted toeixtend. into the passage of the handle.

A cabled contains two stranded insulated wires 15, 19' which are secured metallically to the portio'nsl, 1G of the tip Hand con- 90` being connected preferably tact .sleeve l2,

At 20 is a' wcdgemade of inby soldering.

sulating material, and provided upon itsl opposite sides with substantially semi-cylin- :flrnizalv surfaces lated wires 13, laud press the same 1n op- At?, is armetallic shield which is ytittcd upon the threaded collar 7 and is itself threaded for this purpose. The `shield 22 has a. large sloti Q3 internallyr .with an annular shoulder 24, which registers substantially with the annular portionll off the block 9. This block is provided With'an annular portion 25, which tits against an on the shield 9.6, upon. surfaces El, for facilitating the gripping, of these surfaces against the insulated wires 1S nd. lll.

Thelwedge Q() has corruare assembled as follow/sf The The pase` 50 diameter which ded' c5 provided withA a por-y e5...

21 whichl engage the 1n`su-I 95 and is provided 1'00 annular shoulderil* formed vilo sage 6, the stranded or insulated wires 18. 19 are separated and the wed 20 is placed intermediate these wires. T e tip 14 and sleeve 12 are next soldered to the wires 1 8, 19, and the block 9 is placed in position. The threaded collar 7 having been previously secured upon the handle and jammed against the shoulder 8, the shield 22 is next secured in position, being simply screwed down upon the threaded collar. As the annular -portion 25'of the block 9 fits upon the annular shoulder 25 on the shield 22, when the shield 22 is secured upon the threaded collar 7, the block 9 is securely heldA in position, and as this block carries the tip 14 and contact sleeve 12, the parts last mentioned are immovable. In soldering the wires 18, 19 to the portions 16, 15, no great su riluity of wire is left intermediate the ca le 17 and the-` rtions 15, 16. The wedge 20 being d' intermediate the wires 18, 19 is wor l.. or forced down, as indicated in Fig. 1, until it secures a grip upon the insulation of the wires, reason of the corrugations 26 on the sur B628 21 f the wedge. ,These surfaces, therefore, grip the wires securely and by torcia opposite directions, cause t. t to bind a inst the elliptical weils of y 1 e operator ina now, u n upon e cord 17 or, whatyis the thing, by Pun' ing the ,handle it in such direction as tofs!- ert a slight strain u the @bis 17, @U90 the w 20 to be orced lirmly dowsinto the han le, and after this 18 stain upon the cable 17 iS thrOwn d! y HPO. the handle 5 which is Strong #mit Kolbe. it. No sudden jerk or excessively. .rd Pull upon the cable 17, therefore, i8 bl i@ 410 any damage tothe tip 14 or the sleeve 12, or any rother member carrying current and so exposed as to cause theilr: rent to do mischief.

The purpose of the slotl 23 is to enable the,

shield 22 to fit around the bindingvpost of the brid of a fuse box, or anything of this kind. hat is to say, the plug when coin-- plete may be brought' into proper position to lenable a circuit to be completed, and conuentl va tem ra electrical connection lue mayde, andptiie s ot 23 is for accommodating a the way.

Referrin part which would otherwise be in now to the construction shown in Fig. 1, it will be noted that the contact sleeve 12, though of considerable size and atfording considerable contact surface, is

completely. protected by the shield 22 which extends alittle distance beyond the end of the contact sleeve. Moreover the contact sleeve 12 and its inner linin 1310i insulating material both extend s ightl 'beyond the end of the'tiprli and thus a ord additional protection vfor the tip. Indeed, to

the wires in- `appear andf ite the my construc'ltgildn this is imposible, for the cause a short circuit from the tip 14 ia, somonot easily accomplished by accident. The nin' 13 of insulating material extend` ing out sleeve 12 and thus being intermediate the contact sleeve and the tip, affords a further protection.

The operation of my device is as follows: The parts having been assembled as above described, the operator, in order to make a temporary electrical connection, merely grasps the plug by its handle 5 andv brings it into engagement with the contact mech anism of the terminals from which the current is to be supplied. The slot 23 accominodating the connecting post or analogous member, as above' described, the contact sleeve 12 is thus bro ht squarely -into enent with a mating contact member, an the tip 14 is similarly brought into contact' with a mating contact member, so that the connection is complete. In order to disush with the end of the conrad f connect, the operator merel grasps the handle 5, pulls out the plug anyd throws it u on. a

bring either of thev contacts 'into engagement with some grounded metallic body, such as an iron column, and thereby cause an arc to ioo lene vapor. With reason that the shield, protrudin' say half an inch beyond the contact mem rs, prevents fither of them from coming into engagementbwth any metallic conductor which might cause an are to start up. With my construction the plug can .be quickly thrown aside, the operatorpaying no/particular at 'tention to t e point w ere it is thrown, and no danger ensues in consequence.'

I do not limit myself to any particular use to which this plug may be applied as regarda the character of currents, or the special pu'rpoae for which said currents are to beaused. Neither do I limit myself to the exact mechanical details of the construction shown, the aco ofm invention being commensurate wi my c aims.

Having thus described my invention, I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: i l

1. In a plug for electrical connections, the combination of a plug, a contact member mounted thereupon and having substante'ally the form of aylinder, a portion of insu ating material within said cylinder and concentric thereto, a second contact member inside said Hrstin said said Contact members and engaging said plug Y 2 ln a plu for electrical connections, the combination i a. Contact; n'ieniber having substantially a cylindrical form, a member` of insulating material. alsellizuf'ing substan tially a cylii'ldi'ical oiL-m und disposed With- Contact member, .a second Contact 'membei` disposed centrally within said por- =lion of insulating material and spaced therefrom, and u shield having a slot und encircling bolli of said Contact members.

A plug for eleel'rieul connections comterial for engaging' said handle,' Contact members mounted upon said plug and msulated from euchlother, a collar encirclinr a. portion of sind handle and provided wit a 'tlired, and o shield provided With'a thread 20 uniting said thread of said dollar7 said shield being further provided with aportion for engaging said plug of insulating material.

n tesimony whereof. Inhave signed my name to this specieaion-iri the presence of 25 two subscribing Witnesses. l

AUGUSTUS N. DODS.

liitnesses:

Cumulus LURCOTT,

Palmi? B, RQLLHAUSJ 

